


Long Live

by milliea27



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:28:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28699932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milliea27/pseuds/milliea27
Summary: Shy, bookworm, ten-year-old Athena has always loved Harry Potter. She'd spent her childhood reading the books, watching the films over and over, until one day, she woke up to find it all... gone. The Harry Potter books, the Harry Potter films, her fake wand and robes. Nobody seems to have any recollection of a series called Harry Potter. And the morning of her eleventh birthday, something even stranger happens: she opens an envelope to find an acceptance letter to Hogwarts.This fic charts over Athena's time at Hogwarts, and she is in the same year as Rose Granger-Weasley, Albus Severus Potter, and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, so is very focused on the next gen's time at Hogwarts :)NOT A CURSED CHILD FANFIC. please do not associate this with that play. and I am very very anti jkr.this is not a cursed child fanfic. I simply love the marauders and the golden trio so wanted to create my own version of close knit friend groups in the wizarding world. enjoy !
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Lily Luna Potter/Original Female Character(s), Rose Weasley/Original Character(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Kudos: 5





	Long Live

Athena Crowley woke up on 4th July with a smile on her face. Today was the last day of school- her final day of year 6. She jumped out of bed, earlier than necessary, and couldn't decide whether she was elated or quite the opposite.

For one, Athena had never quite fit in at her primary school- with anyone other than her teachers, that is. At break, while the other girls played together, she preferred to sit on the field, or a bench in the playground, reading- sometimes writing, maybe even drawing. Sometimes the boys or girls would run up to her and grab her book, laughing at her expense as they ran away. When she got invited to birthday parties, if ever, she knew it was because some people's parents made them invite the whole class, or felt bad leaving her out. 

But she didn't mind all too much. She liked her books, and so what that she didn't have many- okay, any- friends there? She was off to secondary school soon. She got on just fine. 

And at the end of the day, it was still her school. She loved those classrooms, loved all the learning that took place within those four walls. She loved all the numbers, all the words in each and every book, and she loved her teachers, with whom she could converse with for hours on end if she had the chance (the most time she got to share with them was lunchtime- she was allowed to stay in most days and help her favourite teacher, Miss Alcott, mark English work). 

She had even loved her SATs, and felt slightly nostalgic at the feeling of being brimming with something like nerves and excitement, completing the paper with a smile tugging at her lips. Her favourite had always been SPAG; and she beamed when she heard that she got full marks on the paper. (And cried when she was two marks away from full marks on the maths SAT, much to the irritation of her fellow classmates.)

"Hm," Athena mused aloud. "Maybe I will miss primary school after all,"

"Oh, Athena, you're up!" Athena's mother walked into her room, and ruffled her hair lovingly. "So, last day, sweetie- are you ready?" 

Athena nodded.

"Good. Let's get those pancakes on the go then, hmm?" 

Athena grinned, and rushed down the stairs, excited. Her mother watched, smiling gently, and hoped that she would fit in a little better and make some friends next year. She was a good kid, the mum thought- she deserved to.

The crepe mixture sizzled as it hit the pan, oozing out to fill the heart shaped metal. The mother watched as Athena ambled around the kitchen, then into the living room, then back into the kitchen.

"Mum, have you seen my book?" Athena asked, frowning.

"That's a very open-ended question, Thena," she replied, with a laugh. Athena stayed frowning. "No, honey, I haven't, you'll have to tell me which book, and I'll keep an eye out."

"Harry Potter," 

"What?" the mother raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost. "Doesn't ring a bell, no,"

It was now Athena's turn to laugh, while her mother's frown did not leave her face. 

"Mum!" she exclaimed. "Harry Potter!" 

"I'm sorry, darling, I've never heard of it," her mum looked dazed, flipping the heart-shaped pancake absent-mindedly.

"Mum," Athena repeated, bemused. "Harry Potter. My favourite books of all time?! My favourite films? Mum, I have a corner of my room dedicated to it- posters, wands, props from the films."

"Well, hurry up and show me these posters then, because I have no clue what you mean," she yawned, shaking her head and spreading a dollop of nutella onto the crepe. 

Chuckling a little, the ten-year-old brunette ran up the stairs, wondering what could have possibly gotten into her mother. Athena reached her bedroom, pushing open the door, and then walked over to the corner of her room that was covered in all things-

She stopped. 

There was nothing there.

Well, not nothing. Her chest of drawers remained, painted pink, but instead of being covered with Harry Potter props and wands, all that was present was a few framed photos. 

Her and her cousin, at a relative's wedding in Cornwall last year.

Her dog, Annie, grinning at the camera. 

Her Grade 3 piano certificate, distinction, with a smiley face on a post it note from mum beside it.

And 

nothing 

else. 

Athena's heart dropped. 

Her marauder's map. Her wand. Her Yule Ball flyer. Her collection of Harry Potter books. 

All gone. 

She pinched herself, furiously, because surely, she was dreaming. 

"Ouch," she muttered. 

Then, she realised. This was a prank! Obviously. She didn't know how she hadn't noticed it sooner. Her mum was joking around with her, hiding her Harry Potter collection, a prank for the last day of school, liven things up a little. Yes, that had to be it. 

Shaking her head, she hurried back to the kitchen, where her Mum ushered her into the dining room with a pancake. 

"Hurry up, or it'll go cold!" she warned, placing a glass of apple juice on the table next to her breakfast. 

A sweet aroma lifted Athena's mood, and she took a bite.

"Mmm, heart shaped pancakes are always better than normal pancakes," she grinned. "And Mum, you got me with the Harry Potter thing- I really fell for it,"

Her Mum frowned. "Sorry, honey, but I really don't remember you telling me about this book. Why don't you tell me about it now, maybe then I will remember it?" 

Athena's heart dropped in her chest. Her mother seemed sincere, a forlorn expression on her face- she seemed truly sorry that she didn't know this series. 

Maybe it was just a really, really weird case of memory loss. 

"It's a series. 7 books, for each year," 

Her mother smiled, and sat down, making an effort to show that she was listening intently.

"And it's about this boy, called Harry Potter, who finds out he is a wizard. And..." she trailed off, unsure of how much to say. One thought seemed to be taking over her whole mind.

Why didn't her mum remember Harry Potter?

She had bought her the books, when she was in year 2. She had watched the films with her, countless times. She had bought her merchandise every Christmas since she was 7.

"That's about it, really," she finished, uncertain.

"Sounds good! You'll have to lend it to me sometime. Now, eat up, I'm going to go get ready for work," 

Silently, she took another bite, her mind buzzing like a swarm of angry bees. Harry Potter. Her Mum didn't know Harry Potter. 

She finished her pancake, and walked over to her Dad's office- he was in London for a long weekend- and typed in his pin, opening up his computer. 

Aha. Google.

Athena took a deep breath. 

Then began typing.

Start simple, she thought. 

'Harry Potter'

No results found for 'Harry Potter'. Try more general keywords. Check everything is spelled correctly. Look for-

Athena's breath caught in her throat. 

"Oh my God," she whispered, "what is going on?"

She forced herself to breathe. Inhale, exhale. Maybe she was in a dream? No, she'd tried that already. She typed in, slowly, meticulously, carefully:

'JK Rowling,'

Phew. There were pages of information. She scrolled down, hopeful.

Hm. Facebook account of 'JK Rowling'. Click. 

That same sinking feeling appeared in Athena's chest once more, like a weight in her lungs where oxygen should be. 

It was a completely random Facebook account. Not of the author, JK Rowling, but of a random woman, Ms Rowling, in her mid-sixties, posting selfies and memes. 

Athena scrolled, endlessly, through the pages of information produced from her search, yet nothing, nothing was related to JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, Athena's lifelong role model. The closest Athena could find was a depressing Twitter account, with five followers- bots- under the name Joanne K. Rowling, and a few tweets talking about transgender people and comparing taking hormones to conversion therapy. Athena shuddered. That couldn't be her; thank God that wasn't her role model. She closed the tab.

One last hope remained instilled in Athena. 

She darted to the living room, and headed straight for the shelves of DVDs in the corner. She searched, and searched, and searched for the Harry Potter films; until eventually, she gave up, trailing upstairs to get ready for school. 

Her heart ached, longed for escapism to her favourite world. Had she made it all up? Where did it all go? Was it all a dream? 

Her classmates, her teachers, the school library; nobody remembered it. Her last day was quite fun, a day of signing shirts and awkward goodbyes to students- and heartfelt goodbyes to teachers, especially Miss Alcott, who wrote Athena a goodbye note which left a smile on her face.

"Dear Athena, it has been an absolute pleasure to teach you English this year. Each and every piece of writing could have been published, and Suzanna Collins

(her second favourite author, after JK Rowling) 

needs to watch out because I have no doubt that you will be just as, if not more, successful than she is! I know that you will make all of your dreams come true, Athena. Good luck at your new school- they are very lucky to have you. Love from Miss Alcott."

In fact, Athena received a myriad of praise from teachers that day...

"Athena, you have been an absolute joy to teach and a pleasure all year. You are an extremely bright, intelligent, and likeable girl who I will sorely miss in my class. I have loved our many conversations and your fantastic storytelling. I know you will be hugely successful and enjoy all the future holds. Keep being your amazing self :) lots of luck, Mr Gaimes."

"Dear my wonderful Athena, where to begin? I have absolutely loved teaching you in year 2 and year 6 (how lucky am I??) and I know you have such a bright future ahead. I remember saying in year 2 that I couldn't wait to read your books in the future when you're a famous author and I still mean it. You are such a kind, mature, and caring girl and I wish you all the luck for the future. Love, Miss Honey."

Her goodbye wishes from her class, however, were a little less heartfelt, but she didn't care; she strolled out of the school gates with her Mum and a smile etched onto her face, and felt like it would be tattooed there forever. 

However, once she got home, the new reality began to set in, and no matter how many times she reread what her teachers wrote, she couldn't help finding herself swimming in melancholy thoughts again, drowning in the knowledge that she seemed to be the only one with any recollection of a series called Harry Potter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone was interested, those notes from the teachers were actually real! They are the exact goodbye notes my primary school teachers gave me on the last day of year 6 :') however, with two slight alterations- my name is not Athena, so it was my name instead, and my actual 'Miss Alcott' (I have changed my actual teachers' names) wrote 'JK Rowling', not Suzanna Collins. Also, I named one of my teachers under the pseudonym Miss Honey, because she reminds me of Miss Honey from Matilda! A true cottage-core icon. And, if you didn't get the gist, Athena, much like myself, would like to be an author. Okay, I have managed to ramble so much here (maybe I should become an English teacher instead), so goodbye!


End file.
